Sioux City, Iowa — A Sanborn man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, 30-year-old Marc Gibbons of Sanborn pleaded guilty this spring to possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful user of a controlled substance. Gibbons had previously been convicted of two felonies out of O’Brien County: possession of methamphetamine, third or subsequent offense in 2015, and delivery or conspiracy to deliver marijuana in 2009.
Officers say that on March 9, 2017, they observed Gibbons, who was on state parole, driving a vehicle in which his sole passenger was a man suspected of burglarizing a home and stealing seven firearms. Hours later, officers approached Gibbons and questioned him regarding the suspected burglar. During the questioning, officers observed Gibbons in possession of drug paraphernalia and subsequently informed him that he would be taken into custody. Prior to leaving the home, Gibbons, who was wearing only a t-shirt and jeans, declined to take his jackets in spite of the cold weather. However, officers say that without warning, Gibbons bolted for the jackets, wedged himself in between the jackets and the officer standing nearby, and began fumbling through them. It was during this time that the officer observed what later turned out to be a .45 caliber handgun. The handgun was one of the seven stolen firearms.
United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard Strand sentenced Gibbons to to 63 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Gibbons is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office, the Spencer Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
